Pages

Saturday, June 27, 2009

All of our backgrounds are personalized by my daughter and her creative talents on the computer. The current background is the sidewalk in front of our front door during all that rain, she also took the picture.

What a great day! O visited a local bike shop a couple of weeks ago and picked up these pamphlets full of one day self guided tours, they also have a website you can visit here; http://www.dinoland.com/Tours-and-Trips. And today we went on the first one to Diamond Mountain Jones Hole & Fish Hatchery.

The drive was beautiful its been raining a lot so its very lush and green. On our way up we saw a Vulture in the middle of the road after scaring her off we noticed that she was eating some crickets, they where Mormon crickets, they were so big. There where a lot. After driving for 40 miles you go down into this small canyon against some rugged cliffs and there at the bottom is the fish hatchery. It was great because as soon as we got there we walked up to the building and there was holding tanks outside with brown trout in them all about 5 inches long. When you stand by a holding tank its funny its as if you have some sort of force field around you they perfectly arch around your shadow.

Then the ranger came over with 2 buckets with fish food for the kids to throw. What a feeding frenzy that was! The Ranger was great because he refilled the buckets a couple of times when the boys asked.

Inside the building we saw where all the smaller fish were held. And we also saw the incubators but they were empty. So I asked when they would be filling them up again and got a schedule to go back when they are full, and that will be in the fall. There we got coloring books, posters, and stickers.

We then went down into some lower holding tanks where the larger fish are and fed them the last of the food. We walked down the path that leads to the spot where the Jones River meets with the Green River, but only a little ways. That was just before we had lunch and headed home. There are pics enjoy, we did!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Hello all family and friends! It's been 3 months and we are finally settled out here in Naples, town next to Vernal. We technically live 1/2 a block from the border of Vernal. Funny when I talked to all the Utilities, and DSL Companies I would say Vernal and get corrected, so that is why I now say Naples.

It is very lovely out here and the house we are renting is great. Our home is 2500+ square feet and the lot is an acre. Everyone has thier own space. All the rooms are nice and large. There is no basement, the water table is too high for that. And in the kitchen there are a lot of cupboards-believe it or not I did not have enough to put in them, and I thought I had too much.

In the yard we have 12 different fruit trees, 7 varieties. Apples, apricots, peaches, pears, cherries, and nectarines. We moved just in time to plant our garden. To my surprise most all of our starts have made it, so far. Unfortunately the yard has been neglected for too long and the ground was not the best, so we did lay down manure and my DH has begun to make a fertilizer tea and the weather has been wonderful as far as the rain. The neglect has also added to another problem; Deer-they have made this yard part of thier ritual so much so that the other night before the sun had even set they had to be chased out of our yard. So we will see although I did see a yellow summer straight neck ripening the other day. And all of the bare root tomatoes that I brought home from Okubo's Nursery have made it. We are all crossing our fingers.Also in the yard there is a fire pit-which is fun. Camping without leaving home! At least toasted marshmallows and smores. It could get pretty creative.

There is this huge apple tree just outside the back door and the boys just love climbing into it, they become little happy monkeys.

We also will be fishing a lot, now that we live so near to so many lakes. And Steinaker has a great little beach we will be going to a lot when the weatherwarms up.

Well thats all for this time, and more will be added especially pictures.

Here is where I am going to Share those moments that just come whether it be night or day and we take the time to seize every opportunity-

Just a quick chuckle; I was putting my sons down for the night and little Bogan asked for another drink of water, and I said no you have already had a large glass and used the bathroom-he said oh yeah-so I chuckled and said haha your plans to stay awake have been foiled, and he said yeah Mom you folded my plans.

The other night my boys were playing with their legos and when I walked by, PT had made a pyramid and asked me where the little guy was that he had, I said I don't know? And then he showed me he had hidden it under the pyramid-I thought and then grabbed that moment- I went and got out the history book and opened up to the ancient Egypt era when pyramids were built and why it was similar to what he did. He was amazed at the significance. We read and read and learned about them for 2 days.

This year we have started a new style of learning by Ruth Beechick, and love it! It is simple to use and to the point and Gospel centered of course I have to add the BOM, but its been great so far, check it out

Quotes

I suppose it is because nearly all children go to school nowadays, and have things arranged for them, that they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas. - Agatha Christie, author I have not the least doubt that school developed in me nothing but what was evil and left the good untouched. - Edward Grieg, composer

1. Confusion 2. Class Position 3. Indifference 4. Emotional Dependency 5. Intellectual Dependency 6. Provisional Self-Esteem 7. One Can't Hide. It is the great triumph of compulsory, government monopoly mass-schooling that among even the best of my fellow teachers, and among even the best of my students' parents, only a small number can imagine a different way to do things - John Taylor Gatto, NY Teacher of the Year 1990-91